mcmillan



(No Model.)

- 2 sheets -sheet l. J. M 0MILLAN,& W. A. ROBERTSON. APPARATUS FOR FEEDING-FUEL TO FURNACES. N0.289,354.

Patented Nov. 27, 1883.

(NoModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2k J.M01V[ILLAN & W. A.-ROBERTSON. APPARATUS FOR FEEDING FUEL T0 FURNACES.

No. 289,354. Patented Nov. 27,1883.

Eric's.

JAMES MCMILLAN AND WILLIAMAFFLEOK ROBERTSON, OE GLASGOW,

COUNTY or LANARK, SCOTLAND.

APPARATUS FOR FEEDlNG FUEL- TO FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,354, dated November 27 1883,

Application filed April 16, 1883. (No mode ()ur said invention relates to new or improved apparatus for thefeeding' of fuel to furnaces and fireplaces, and has for its object the prevention of smoke by the feeding of green fuel up through the bottom of such furnaces or fire-placesand underneath the live fuel.

mounted on lianged rollers,which traverse up In the case of apparatus constructed according to our invention for feeding fuel into the furnace or fire-grate of a steam-boiler or other analogous furnace or fire-grate, it consists of a fuel-box, preferably of rectangular form,

on horizontal rails or guides parallel with the plane of the furnace-bottom. In the furnace bottom or grate an opening is formed of about 5 thesame shape and dimensions as the shape and dimensions taken horizontally of the interior of the box hereinbefore mentioned. A deadplate is also provided of rather larger dimensions than the opening in the furnace-bottom, and which, like the box hereinbefore mentioned, is mounted on flanged rollers, which also traverse horizontally upon the rails or guides. The deadplateinay either be rigidly connected to the box or it may be provided with an automatic coupling device for engaging and disengaging with the same at the reguired part of the travel of the fuel-box, in

5 opening in the furnace-bottom.

which case the dead-plateis provided with a projection, which, when the fuel-box carrying the green fuelto be charged into the furnace or fire-grate is pushed inward, engages with a hook at the inner end of the fuel-box, and, as

theinward motionof the fuel-box is continued,

pushes away the dead-plate from beneath the In proportion as the box containing the fuel advances underneath the said opening the dead-plate is pushed into its farthest rearward position. I The fuel-box has a movable bottom in it, which ward and when it isdbeneath the opening in the furnace-bottom the movable bottom of the isfcapable of being moved upward and down .left beneath the opening, andthe fuel-box is carried backward into its position for charging, where the bottom of the same is lowered, in order that the box may receive its next charge.

The bottom ofthc fuelbox may be raisedeither by crossed levers or by jointed arms, both of which methods are operated by a right-andlefthanded screw acting upon nuts jointed to the lower ends of the said levers or arms; or

eccentrics carried upon a horizontal shaft, which, being rota-ted through halfa revolution, raises or lowers the bottom of the fuel-box.

For the operation of the different motions required from the charging of the fuel-box to the return of the same empty into the position for recharging, there is provided a horizontal screw carried at the rearward endin a hearing, and operated at its forward end by a motor or by gearing for hand-driving. This screw is provided at its forward and rearward ends with clutches, which engage atthc required time .with the rightandleft-handed screw hereinbefore mentioned, simultaneously With which motion pawls engaging with the nut through which the horizontal screw works are disengaged by means of cam devices formed on the horizontal rails, the effect of these mothe said levers may be operated by means of I tions being to retain the fuel-box in the same horizontal position while the bottomof the same is being raised or lowered.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of mechanism constructed according to and constituting the first part of our said1invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sections of the same. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a modified form of mechanism constructed according to and constituting the first part of our said invention. Fig. 6 is a part section and part front elevation of the same. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of a detached portion of Too , same into the furnace, the handle a is turned in the direction of the arrow (1, which causes a reverse motionto be transmitted to the screw 0 through the gearwvheelsf and g. \Vhen the fuel-box a. has arrived beneath the opening Z) the contents thereof are caused to be raised through the same by the rotation of the right-and-lett-handed screw 7:, which, through the levers i,,or (asrepresented at Fig. 8) arms 7' and It, raises the movable bottom 1, and with itthe charge carried upon it.

This action ofthe screw (2 is effected by means j reverse the mechanism, when the contents of of the weighted pawl mbeing disengaged from the ratchet-teeth a, which are formed upon the forward end of the right-and-left-haiuled screw h. This pawl m is disengaged by means of its lower end, which carries the anti-friction roller 0, being depressed on coming into contact with a cam formed upon the under side of the rail or guide 7). Simultaneously with this action the clutch (1, formed on the rearward end of the rig]it-and-lett-handcd' screw 71, engages with the clutch r, fixed upon the screw c. When the contents of the fuelbDX (t have been charged into the furnace the motion of the handle 0 is reversedthat is to say, it is turned in the direction represented by the arrow sby which means the screw is similarly turned in a reverse direction, and the clutches q and r are forced apart, and the pawl t, engaging with the ratchet a in a reverse direction to that in which the pawl 112. did during its rearward travel, the box (t is caused to travel in a forward direction until the pawl 13 is disengaged from the ratchet a, in a similar manner to that hcreinbefore de scribed for disengaging the pawl m. Simultaneously withthis motion the clutch 11 upon the forward end of the right-and-left-haiutled screw it engages with the clutch '0, fixed upon thescrew c, and the movable bottom Z is thereby lowered by the same means as those described for raising it.

At the rear end of the fuel-box a the hook to is pivoted, which is connected to a short shaft running sidewise. At the other end of this shafta hinged arm, a, is attached in such a manner that by its means the hook to can only be raised when the fuel-box a. is being moved in a forward direction, when the arm 00 comes into contact with the protection 7 formed on the rail or guide 1), while in traveling in a rearward direction the hook o is allowed to engage with the coupling-loop c on the dead-plate a, which travels with the fuelbox (1 until disengaged from. it by the lifting of the hook w when it is traveling in the forward direction.

The dotted lines I) represent a rigid connection between the dead-plate a and the fuelbox a; This form of construction, which takes the shape of a prolonged dead-plate, may be adopted in cases where sufficient room can be spared for the rearward travel of the deadplate. It isfound to be of special utility when applied to vertical boilers.

\Vh en the mechanism hereinbefore described is driven by a motor through gearing, asyrepresented at Figs. 5 and 6, there is fitted upon the forward end of the screw 0 a bevel-wheel, c, gearing with which are the two bevel-wheels d and e, which are carried loosely upon the shaft f. Upon the inner faces of the bevelwheels- (1 and e the clutches g and h are formed, and between these the striking-clutch 1? is fitted upon a feather, so that it maybe engaged with either of the clutches g and h, according to the direction in which the fuelbox a is required to travel. To automatically the fuel-box a have been, charged into the furnace, there is provided the shaft j, which is driven from the shaft f by the gear-wheels k and Z. Upon the shaft j is mounted the screw m, which gears with the worm-wheel a, to the face of which are fitted the adjustable screws 0. This mechanism is so adjusted that the clutch 11 is thrown into its position necessary for the return of the fuel-box to its normal position by the adjustable screws 0 at the time when the fuel-box a has discharged its contents up into the furnace, and thrown into its neutral position when it has arrived at the position necessary for receiving a fresh charge of fuel. Fig. 7 of the accompanying drawings represents a hood, 1), for inclosing the mechanism last described.

\Vit-h reference to the apparatus hereinbefore described, it is to beunderstood that both forms thereof may be applied to furnaces or fire-places of both larger and smaller dimensions than the classes of such furnaces in connection with which they are herein particularly described.

1. The fuel-box a and dead-plate a, in combination with the pivoted hook w and its attached arm .00, carried by the box a, the coup ling-loop .2, carried by the dead-plate a, and the projection or cam 3 substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

The right-ai'id-lefthanded screw it, for actuating the raising and lowering mechanism for the discharge of the fuel, in combination with the screw-propelling shaft 6, the clutches q and n, and ratchet a, and pawls an audi substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described,with reference to the aceonr panying drawings.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES illOlllLhAN. WllililAill AFFLECK ROBERTSON.

KVitnesses:

ROBERT ADAM GUNN, JOHN QMADDER Lunnoru, Both of 115 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow. 

